You Belong To Me
by Reda
Summary: A Collection of 30 oneshots based on prompts. Focused on PruCan, other pairings possibly implied. Fifth: "Forget Romance" - "The word 'romance' according to the dictionary means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime." - Billy Graham
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes****:**

-Don't even get me started. Found a list of 30 prompts on my computer from I-don't-remember-where and decided, hell, why not try to do PruCan fills for them?

-This will be a collection of said 30 prompts. Enjoy.

**History Notes: **(wikipedia, yeah yeah, whatever - just add the wikipedia page address and copy/paste the rest)

*Blue Cornflowers and Germany: apparently the blue flower has a story behind it and Queen Louise of Prussia that states how she hid her children in a field of cornflowers when she fled Berlin and the pursuit of Napoleon's forces. It's also supposed to be the favorite flower of Kaiser Wilhelm I (who is partially responsible for the unification of Germany). Read more here: wiki/Cornflower#Folklore_and_symbolism

*Old Fritz's grave: has quite an interesting tale to it. He had a planned place of burial for a long time but it took until August 17th, 1991 (the 205th anniversary of his death) for his remains to be placed where he wanted: in the forecourt of Sanssouci palace. "Quand je serai là, je serai sans souci" (Once I am there, I shall be carefree) Frederick the Great [apparently] said in 1744. Read the full article: wiki/The_Tomb_of_Frederick_the_Great

~!~

You Belong to Me

Prompt 1: Halos

~!~

When Gilbert mysteriously disappeared on a cold January morning, they told him to search the Sanssouci palace. When he asked where, Ludwig gave him detailed directions and suggested he buy a few flowers on the way. When he asked why, the German just shook his head and said he'd know when he got there.

So it was with a little bit of worry – and a lot of curiosity – that Matthew Williams paid for a bouquet of blue cornflowers, those flowers which always reminded him of Prussia. He wasn't sure what they were for exactly, but if it had to do with Gilbert then it was probably a good guess to go with a flower so closely associated with the man's long lost nation. Or at least with something that matched the old Prussian uniform.

When he arrived at the palace, thankfully without problems because Ludwig was fantastic at giving directions, Matthew left his car parked on the side of the street and started searching the grounds for his lost lover. One would think an albino would be easy to spot but Gil was hiding incredibly well.

After a while of wandering around the beautiful landscape, Canada heard the last lilting notes of a flute playing in the wind. He froze in his steps at first, amazed to be listening to the familiar flute tones out in the open. Gilbert loved to play but never for the public and certainly never out in the open. It was usually just a secret between the two of them, a special addition to a night here and there scattered among the several they spent together.

And yet that was most certainly Gilbert Beilschmidt's playing. Musicians today did not play like they used to, and no one could compare to a nation who had lived hundreds of years beyond normal human lifespans. There was an unmistakable bittersweet tone to each held note, each carefully placed vibrato.

Then it was over and he could hear Gilbert's distinct laugh carrying through the wind. Matthew smiled and held the flowers close to his coat. He loved that laugh. Now it was time to discover where his albino lover had been hiding all day. Goodness, it was late afternoon already!

Slowly, he made his way around the garden terrace and discovered his lovable albino sitting at a grave site dressed in an outfit Canada had only ever seen in pictures. He froze his steps for the second time and stared at the vision of Gilbert Beilschmidt in his old and faded military uniform from his prime – from the days of the Kingdom of Prussia. There was the familiar flute in his hand, being held gently as always and he was laughing and speaking into the air. Of course he was talking in German so Canada had no idea...

And then Gil turned and saw him and Matthew felt his heart stop. "Hey! Birdie!"

Canada found his voice caught in his throat. There was a wide smile on Prussia's lips and by all accounts he looked to be enjoying himself, but there were tears making trail marks down pale cheeks and there was a sad gleam in those usually annoyingly excited red eyes. What on earth could make his Gilbert be so out of character?

"Come here!" Prussia called, gesturing with his free arm for Canada to join him.

Clutching tightly to his bouquet of blue cornflowers, Matthew made his way to where his albino was sitting on the grass in front of a headstone. When he read the name on the tombstone it was like a lightbulb clicked in his brain and he understood everything, feeling his face relax into a sad smile. He sat down beside his lover and ran a hand over the engraving.

"Fredrick the Great," he muttered.

"Fritz," Gil corrected lightly.

A familiar yellow chick peeped from Prussia's coat, some complaint about the cold weather as it huddled in the confines of the Prussian military cloak. Matthew chuckled at the bird, the little pet that always seemed to be by Gilbert's side no matter where the crazy ex-nation decided to run. Kumajiro wasn't nearly as obsessed – or honestly capable – of following Matthew everywhere.

"I didn't know it was -"

"It's his birthday," Gil interrupted, his eyes on Canada and a smile gracing those lips again when he noticed the confused surprise. "I'd rather visit on a day of celebration than a day of mourning and maybe just to annoy him a bit." Gilbert chuckled. "He always hated it when we remembered his birthday."

"Oh," Matthew breathed.

Gil shrugged and turned to stare at the grave. Matthew watched as the albino touched the stone, fingers almost caressing it like a long lost lover giving a greeting after years of separation. If he could remember his history correctly, the two had been separated for over two hundred years now, but that was the curse of being an immortal nation and loving a mortal human. Come to think of it, France would always do something for Jeanne d'Arc every year, and he'd always shut himself away from the rest of the world on the same day.

Perhaps this is what Prussia did every year on January 24th. A special visit to a special friend of the past. Whether or not...

"You brought flowers, Birdie?"

Having his thoughts interrupted, Canada turned his gaze to meet the red-eyed ex-nation. He blinked and then blushed when he recalled the bouquet of Prussian blue cornflowers in his arms. "Y-yeah?" He answered, holding them out to Prussia and looking away, refusing to meet his eyes as he felt the heat on his face.

He heard a familiar laughing grunt. "For me?"

"W-well, I don't know..."

"You got flowers and you don't know why?" Gil was definitely grinning behind his words.

"Ludwig said -"

"Ah, I see." Gilbert didn't say much more but Matthew brought his gaze back to his albino lover when he heard the crinkle of plastic.

His eyes widened when he saw that Prussia had torn open the bouquet and was bending and toying and _doing something_ to the blue flowers. His first thought was that he had made some terrible error, and he flinched back as he awaited the ire of the usually outspoken Prussian. When nothing happened and Gilbert continued to gather the flowers and – wait, was he tying them together?

"What are you doing?" He asked, exasperated.

Gilbert looked up at him, the flute sitting in his lap alongside a collection of blue flowers and stems. He smiled, almost reassuringly. Matthew only narrowed his eyes in concern when he saw that look. Gil was always trying to reassure him before one of his crazy schemes came to fruition.

"You'll see."

Canada groaned. Always the same words, too, because it was always some big secret, some big surprise. At least this time Prussia wasn't kicking him out of the house or pushing him away or keeping him from seeing anything. This time, he could watch as the Prussian worked.

And watch he did.

At first, he flinched every time a flower stem was purposefully broken and tossed to the side, but eventually he noticed the pattern. Eventually he could make out what Prussia was making and he felt his mouth drop open. "Is that -?"

"A flower halo," Gilbert supplied.

Canada shook his head. "That's not what it's called."

"That's what I call it."

Matthew sighed, "It's called a flower wreath..."

"It is not," Gil insisted. "Elizaveta and I used to make these when we were kids. I think I know what they're called."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"To wear, of course. She loved to make things in the flowers and was always wearing them...and making me wear them...even while she insisted she was a guy." Gilbert was laughing at his memories as he continued to work, not meeting Canada's eyes.

Speaking of Canada's eyes, he was currently rolling them. "No, I meant why are you making one now?"

"Oh," Prussia muttered and then gave his typical laugh. "I was just wondering what to do with the flowers you brought, and I kept imagining Fritz with a halo..."

Suddenly, Matthew felt incredibly awkward and like he was intruding on something private. Even if he had been the one to bring the flowers, the sound of the chill wind whistling made him feel as if someone else were hanging around. Gilbert's growing silence only added to his suspicions. What if Fritz's ghost was visiting? Was it crazy to believe or suspect such a thing?

Should he have stayed away and left these two alone? It was one day out of the year; he could leave Prussia alone for one day, even if it had been strange not being glomped this morning or having the rowdy albino clinging to him and whining in his ear as he begged for pancakes or beer or something strange. Now he knew why. This was Fredrick the Great's day, one of the few days where Gilbert separated himself from the rest of society and drowned himself in happy memories.

"There! Finished!" Prussia exclaimed, jarring Canada from his thoughts.

Before he could see what the flower halo made by Gilbert Beilschmidt even looked like, he felt something plop on his head. He blinked and stared into the eyes of his lover, even though Gil was a little focused on placing the halo _just so. _"Gil?" He said as his hands started to move up with the intent of taking the thing off.

"Hey, hey! You can't touch it!" Prussia said as he grabbed both of Matthew's hands and held onto them. Then he grinned. "You look cute."

Matthew huffed. "Gil, why put it on me?"

"What do you mean?"

Just like that, he was rolling his eyes for the second time. "Isn't today supposed to be for Fritz? Why did you take the flowers that were obviously meant to be left for him and make a silly girly flower halo for me?"

Gil laughed, making Matthew blush like he'd just asked the stupidest question ever. "Ghosts can't use flowers, silly. I never understood why people leave them at graves." He started rubbing Canada's hands with his pale fingers as his laughter died down and he settled for his ever-present grin. "Besides, I bet Fritz has a much cooler halo than I could ever make."

Matthew's words died on his tongue and he spluttered a bit before staring in shock into those sad red eyes – because, yes, the sad gleam was back. Though the albino was looking at him, Canada could tell that his thoughts were elsewhere. It was making him sigh in the cold. The sun was starting to set and the wind was getting harsher, leaves and flower petals brushing across the gravestone.

"Gil," he whispered, seeing his breath form condensation in the cold air. "We should go home. It's too cold to sit out here all night."

It took a while to get an answer, but Matthew was willing to wait as long as his lover needed. One day out of the year to visit an old friend, possibly an old love – not that he was going to ask such a personal question. After a long moment, Prussia breathed, "Ja. You're right."

He let go of the pale hands and stood up, brushing grass from his cold and slightly wet backside. Gilbert took longer to stand up. He had to put the flute up in its case first, and then he had to clean up the grave site, grabbing all the flower stems and loose petals and intruding leaves. His hand traced the letters of his old king's name one last time and then he stood up, smiled and looked down at the gravestone before saying something quietly in German.

Canada didn't want to pry and he started to make his way back to the car, expecting to leave Gilbert alone with his king for a few moments longer. But Gil was by his side rather quickly, the normal laughter back in his step. Matthew opened his mouth to ask something but Gilbert silenced him with a quick kiss, a hand grabbing his and giving a quick squeeze before pulling back.

"Wha-?"

"Danke," Gil said. "It was nice to share that with you." When Matthew felt himself blush again, the Prussian laughed. "You really _do_ look cute, you know."

Matthew smiled. "So you say."

~!~

Back in their homey Canadian dwelling, Matthew was making his normal rounds of turning off all the lights in the house before bed. They had arrived rather late but neither one of them were good at falling asleep right after traveling. So he had made some hot chocolate while snow fell outside like a typical Canadian January night. Gil had retired early to the study, though, saying he had something important to write.

Which translated to: "I'm still writing in my journals like a silly junior high girl but I won't admit to it even if you know."

When Matthew made his way to the study, he found Prussia asleep at his desk, head nestled comfortably in his arms. He smiled softly and grabbed a blanket from the nearby storage closet. Draping the cover over his lover's shoulders, he couldn't help but catch the sight of a still open journal entry.

_Today I was awesome. I visited Fritz and played some modern birthday tunes just to annoy him. Kesese. I swear I could hear him play something back, using the wind as his instrument. Even as a ghost, he's still awesome. Birdie came and visited, too. I was happy. I love it when he surprises me like that. By the way, he looks so cute with a flower halo. I should have gotten a picture. _

Matthew snorted at the very idea.

Then again...if he could do the same to Gilbert, it might all be worth it.

~!~

_A/N: So, yes, I ship FritzxPrussia but I tried to leave it open for interpretation. And of course Prussia writes "Kesese" out in his journals. I mean, seriously, who doesn't write out their laughter? (I keep a journal, too, and, yes, I write out my hahahaha or lololol so hah~). At first the only thing I could think of for "halos" was the halo of a ghost or angel, but then as I was writing Prussia decided to make a flower halo and I was like "oh! Perfect!" so that's why there's a nice mix of angst with Prussia visiting Fritz...to fluffy PruCan. I love doing one shots like this. _

_Kairi~: SO CUTE~!~! Fluffy bunnies everywhere~~! Just, D'AW~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!_

_~~Thanks for all reviews/alerts/favorites; I appreciate them all~~_

_~Reda_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes****:**

-This prompt was hard. Seriously, what kind of word is "darkly?" ...where did I find this list of words? I don't even...

**Warnings****:**

-Angst? Prussia style? Because I like to pick on my favorite character way too much for it to be healthy.

-Guess that means this is Hurt/Comfort

-I changed the rating to M because of this chapter...even though it's not detailed, it does get heated in the moment. I was on the fence about the rating change – and since I was on the fence, I changed it just to be safe. So there.

-Headcanon. Bah. Like a large portion of the fanbase, I've taken to believing that Prussia is in fact albino – and, as such, I've concocted little issues that I've believed he's had to deal with for being so different.

~!~

You Belong to Me

Prompt 2: Darkly

~!~

"_Most of us are imprisoned by something. We're living in darkness until something flips on the switch."  
― _Wynonna Judd

~!~

Prussia was staring at the white tiger behind the bars of its cage. The albino man had gone suddenly silent and contemplative ever since they'd arrived at this exhibit. There was a rail that he was hanging on, his arms draped over the metal pole as he stared across the open expanse to the cage and the white tiger trapped within.

Not that the cage was terribly small or anything. No, it was a typical exhibit for the large cats. It had nice foliage and plenty of walking – or prowling – space. It had a big area of shade in the back where these animals usually hid from the curious onlookers. Honestly, it looked like quite the comfortable dwelling place – for a zoo animal, at least.

Canada stood next to his boyfriend, chewing on his bottom lip unconsciously as he waited for Gilbert to break the silence. Every animal visited thus far had invoked childish awe and laughter – especially the primates which had played with and enjoyed Gilbert's antics. This was different. Why was it different?

He looked over to his lover, eyes glancing over the sneakers and jeans – complete with a silver chain belt. He managed a light smile at once again reading the "I Am Awesome" message in white lettering on one of Gil's favorite black T-shirts. But he dropped the smile when he reached the red eyes – or the sunglasses hiding what he knew were red eyes. If they hadn't been blocked, those startling eyes would have been positively sparkling and gleaming in this light, but Gilbert seemed to prefer to hide his eyes behind the muttered excuse of "the sunlight hurts sometimes."

The same was true for the silvery white hair. Although Gil had a somewhat modern fashion choice, the baseball cap could only hide so much of the white bangs. Canada had to admit, though, that he probably wouldn't notice the messy strings escaping from the edges of the ball cap if he wasn't specifically looking for the silver hair he loved.

Whenever they went out to public visits, for as long as he could remember, Gilbert had insisted on doing everything possible to cover his albinism. And when Gil came back with a terrible sunburn once, Matthew had remembered ever after to coat the pale skin in as much sunblock as his albino lover permitted. This of course meant that they never went swimming; in fact, going out in public during the day was a rare occurrence in and of itself.

He had been delighted at Gilbert's enthusiastic agreement when he suggested visiting the zoo in Ontario. Most of the day had gone well. They'd seen several kinds of exotic animals, been harassed by a brash peacock when trying to eat lunch, and had licked ice cream from each others lips before Matthew could remind Gil that public displays of affection wasn't the most polite thing to do at a place overwhelmed with little children and their over-protective parents.

But now...

Now Prussia had grown insanely silent and he seemed to be locked in a staring match with the white tiger standing at the edge of the bars. Not that Canada could see what Gilbert's eyes were doing. He did think he had a good idea of what his lover tended to do. Granted, the silent treatment was _not_ something Prussia typically did.

"Mommy, mommy, he looks pretty! I want a kitty like him!"

The loud exclamations of a little girl brought Canada's attention from his boyfriend to the bouncing figure standing on Prussia's other side. Little hands were pointing out at the white tiger as little legs jumped up and down excitedly. A flower dress seemed dirty around the frills and a blueberry stain was quite obvious on the girl's chest but that was normal for a kid, especially one so active and expressive.

Canada could only smile at the girl, imagining what life would be like to have a child himself. What would it be like to take care of a child with Gilbert? Sometimes he craved a baby so badly he would walk to the nearby adoption agency...only to turn away in embarrassment. Two guys taking care of a child? Yeah, right, Gil would never...

"Oh, sweetie, we can't get a kitten like that; tigers are dangerous, you know."

Thankfully, the girl didn't seem to be one of those who would throw a tantrum. Instead, she moved on to ask another question. "I thought tigers had orange and black fur. Why is this one white?"

The mother picked her daughter up as she gave an answer. "Well, let's read the description, honey." They moved over to the plaque dotted with information about the specific white tiger. "It's a genetic defect -"

When Prussia tensed against the rail, Matthew turned alarmed eyes to his lover, the pieces falling into place immediately as he tuned out the rest of the conversation between mother and daughter. Albinism was also considered a genetic defect, at least by some – or most – of the world. Now the quiet contemplation outside the white tiger exhibit made sense.

It nearly broke his heart.

"Gil -" he started, putting a hand on Gilbert's shoulder.

"Don't," Prussia breathed, interrupting him. He couldn't tell what those red eyes were looking at, hidden behind sunglasses as they were, but he knew the next comment from his albino lover was aimed at the animal behind the bars. "You're not defective. You're awesome."

Still, there was no grin on his lover's face. He wanted to offer some understanding comfort, but Prussia hated pity. He'd said it multiple times – how pity only pissed him off - so all Matthew had to hear now was a quick negative word and he would back off and give the albino the space he seemed to crave when he was upset.

_So are you_, he wanted to say. _You're not defective, either. You're awesome. So very awesome._

~!~

As a summer thunderstorm rocked the house, Canada found himself awake and frowning in bed. It was dark because power had gone out around the rest of the town so they were as dark as if they lived in the country, which Matthew found that he preferred. Between the pouring rain and the occasional sound of rolling thunder in the distance, he should have been able to slip back into sleep without fuss.

Except...

"Nein..."

Except...

"Nein...bruder..._nein_..."

Except Gilbert was twitching to the memories in a nightmare. Twitching, flinching back as if he were getting slapped. All night he'd been fighting this, falling in and out of whatever reoccurring nightmare currently plagued him. All night, Canada had lain next to him and felt his heart break at every whispered "no" in the German language. There was too much anguish in the usually cocky voice. It hurt to hear something so out of character, so exposed, even if it was just from some random night terror.

Except Canada had a feeling this wasn't random. This had happened before. The similar flinches and whimpers. The way Gilbert started to curl in on himself as if he were actually getting attacked. The cries of "brother" that seemed to be _asking why_ more than asking for _help_.

Feeling his eyes wet with tears, Matthew shook his head and started over thinking everything. Gilbert had been unusually introverted since the tiger exhibit in the zoo today. They'd come home and Prussia had still worn the hat instead of tossing it to the side like normal. Even the sunglasses had stayed on – they were sitting on the dresser beside the bed, for heaven's sake!

Clearly, he was upset. Every time Matthew had tried to offer a comforting word or gesture, the albino had pulled away and nearly scowled at him. So he'd left him alone. He'd done as Prussia wanted and left the man to deal with his problems alone. Now he was regretting his decision to give in to the stubborn man.

Now, now that he was connecting the "defective" word to a nightmare, to Prussia's _brother_, he was beginning to wonder if it didn't go deeper. Germany – or Hitler – had been obsessed with the Aryan race during World War II and everyone knew that Prussia, the one to basically _raise_ Germany, had been anything _but_ the model example of Hitler's idea of perfect racial and genetic traits. Germany had been, of course. Ludwig was blue-eyed, blond-haired and an ideal soldier (thanks to Gilbert, probably).

But Gil...

White hair, red eyes, pale skin, sensitive to bright light and prolonged periods under the sun...

Sometimes, Canada wondered...

"Nein..." Gil whimpered again in his sleep, flinching back _again_, arms and hands curling in the white hair as if trying to pull it out.

_This has to stop._

With a new determination, Matthew shifted positions in the covers and climbed on top of his boyfriend. He grabbed the man's hands at the wrists and pinned them down on either side of his head, bending down to capture open lips with his own before Gilbert could even fully wake up. He got a bit of a struggle at first, which was to be expected seeing as one did not easily pin down a Prussian even in sleep, but after a while the squirming stopped and a tongue started playing against his own and he knew Gil was awake.

Almost regretfully, he pulled back and settled for staring down at his albino lover. A flash of lightning from the storm lit up the room, especially bouncing light across the lack-of-pigmented pale skin, red eyes, and silvery white hair. "Have I ever told you what I love about you?" Canada asked as light thunder rolls echoed his words.

Prussia looked up at him, mouth slightly open as he gasped for breath, eyes yearning for something more than talk, but he knew by now to give in to Matthew's pillow talk. "Birdie..." Or, at least, he knew to give a vocal response of _some_ kind.

"I love _everything_ about you, Gil," Canada insisted.

Confusion danced in those hazy red eyes for just a moment, and then the haze was replaced with wide understanding. "Biride, don't..." He must have figured out exactly what was coming because he groaned and tried to push Canada off of him.

Matthew would have none of it. All day he'd let the stubborn man have his way. When it started affecting his sleep, he would no longer spoil his lover. He needed to do this – and he was pretty certain that Gilbert needed to hear this.

So, he called on his inward strength and kept the ex-nation pinned down, flexing his fingers around the pale wrists to keep from digging into skin accidentally. He leaned over and nuzzled his head against Prussia's, brushing his own hair against the white spikes. If his hands were free he would have let his fingers gently caress the bangs resting against the sweaty forehead. As it was, this would have to do.

"I love your white hair."

"Birdie..." Prussia whined, still trying to stop him.

Matthew smirked and kissed his way from the white bangs to the eyes. "I love your red eyes," he mumbled before he kissed each closed eyelid, seeing as Gilbert had shut them when Canada's lips drew near.

He moved down the face, purposefully avoiding the lips because he knew Prussia was mentally begging for a heated kiss by now. Even though Gilbert had been the more dominant one originally – seeing as Matthew had been a virgin when they started dating – over their time together, he had slowly grown to know and memorize the quirks of his lovable albino. And he now knew how to bend Gil to _his_ will...when he cared to do so, at least.

Settling his mouth into the crevice between neck and shoulder, he licked up the pale throat and nestled into a specific sensitive area before latching on with teeth. The body beneath his shuddered and a quiet moan escaped the Prussian lips. He sucked there for a while before letting go and moving down, earning ever-so-small twitches as he lightly touched around collarbone and chest before kissing his way back up to the pale throat.

He didn't bite this time, settling for long suckling, slowly making his way up the jaw before pecking against lips. Lips that were exuding quick, panting breathes. "I love your pale skin," he whispered against his lover's mouth.

There was some kind of shaky voiced comment, but Matthew interrupted it by pushing his tongue into the open, wet cavern before any words could actually make sense. What he did next required every ounce of control, but he hadn't learned how to tease his lover by being weak. Just as the kiss started to heat up, he pulled away, earning a breathy whine.

"I love your outspoken attitude," he whispered before diving again and repeating the action. "I love...the way you...tell me your secrets." _Let's see if he understands..._ Without waiting to see if it had clicked yet, Matthew kissed again, pulling away just as he felt things beginning to warm up. Prussia was squirming underneath him, always being one to hate such teasing, especially when there was _talking_ involved. "I love...how you _talk to me_...when you're upset."

Instead of bending down for another heat-stealing kiss, Canada sat back and looked down at the mess he had created. Red eyes opened and gazed up at him, wanting, _begging_, and possibly... "Birdie -"

"Understand?" He interrupted.

Yes, he could see it now in the way the chest sighed and he could almost say there was a flash in that red gaze. He wanted Prussia to understand one most important thing and he had expressed it in his last few statements. Because Gilbert _wasn't_ doing what he'd said he loved. No, the albino had been keeping everything to himself, hiding away and caving in as he tried to fight an issue alone. And Matthew was sick and tired of not being able to do anything to help.

"I-"

Still not letting him go, or letting him talk, Matthew interrupted yet again, "I want you to tell me everything. The nightmares. The past. The thing with the tiger today. The reason you hide your hair and your eyes. The reason you flinch at the phrase 'genetic defense.'" He could see the red orbs shaking; he could see water forming behind the gaze. He leaned over and pressed his forehead against Gilbert's, looking straight into those eyes and not allowing him to look anywhere else. "You _will_ talk to me from now on. I want you to promise me."

He could almost hear Gil's laugh... _'So demanding...so spoiled...'_

Well, maybe he was, but only because the rough-and-tumble Prussian had fallen in love with him. It was his own fault, really. Love was a demanding thing. Love spoiled even the most selfless people.

"I promise, but -"

He sat up and blinked. "But what?"

"Now?" Gilbert whined, his voice cracking, those eyes back to hazy pleading.

Matthew smiled and leaned in for another kiss. "Later works," he whispered before finally giving the both of them the craving their bodies wanted.

~!~

The water was freezing at first; it always was, but he quickly grew used to it. Honestly, he had to adjust quickly. Gilbert was splashing him and insisting on roughhousing. Before he knew what was happening, he was racing around the oval-shaped public pool to get away from a shark of a boyfriend.

His glasses were safely tucked away in a bag with their clothes and towels, resting under the shade at a claimed plastic table. Similar bags and towels were scattered on similar tables located around the pool. Everyone was out today, enjoying the cool water as an excuse to get out of the summer heat.

Matthew yelped when pale arms grabbed him from behind, and then he joined his lover in laughter as he was pulled up against a wet chest. He probably would have kissed Gilbert then if not for the crowd of young kids and wary parents. The general populace may tolerate – and may even accept – gay couples, but Matthew had met enough parents to know they preferred not to have to answer "difficult questions."

Finally, they could enjoy time in a swimming pool, even surrounded by other townspeople. Finally, Matthew could see those red eyes sparkle in the light of day. Gilbert honestly seemed happy, too, like he didn't care anymore about the albino issue, the difference that had set his brother against him in the darkest moments of the war.

Of course, Matthew knew it couldn't be solved that easily, but talking had _helped_. Forcing Gil to talk _had_ been the right decision and he was rather proud of himself for going through with it. Now he could take Prussia out into the Canadian day without worrying about his boyfriend hiding behind a hat and sunglasses. Now they could _swim_ in the summer time.

"Hey, Mister!"

A little boy swam up with a slew of other kids crowding behind him, all of them staring at Gilbert. Brown hair, blond hair, black hair...brown eyes, green eyes, blue eyes... All of them mix-matched in different ways, all of them with different skin tones and shades that separated them, but none as completely unique as Gilbert.

Prussia let go of Matthew and turned to face the kids, his mouth frowning, his eyes obviously worried and tense. Canada held his breath as he leaned against the edge of the pool and watched the scene unfold.

"Why do you have white hair -"

"- look! Red eyes, too!"

The kids started murmuring among each other, all of them trying to guess what made Gilbert stand out so much. Canada could hear the suggestions from where he waited beside his boyfriend. From hair dye and contacts to alien...

And then Prussia laughed, "Kesese~ Why? 'Cause I'm just that awesome!"

Canada smiled. That was an answer he was used to hearing, a laugh that shattered all worry in one sure stroke.

The kids apparently found the laughter contagious, too. "But, no, seriously, Mister," the little boy insisted, his eyes curious and grinning.

Gilbert crossed his arms. "It's a rare gene, which means less than one percent of people in the world are like me. That makes me awesome."

"My mom said you're an albino!" A girl with yellow floaties shouted.

Canada looked up to see a mother in a nearby chair watching the scene as well. She seemed worried but not terrified, more like she was worried about the children pestering Gil. Matthew smiled. There was a reason he liked living in this town.

"Y-yeah that's what it's called," Gilbert muttered, his voice losing some of that original confidence.

"Does that mean you can't see anything? I heard albino people were born blind!"

Prussia snorted. "That's ridiculous. I can see just fine."

"I heard they can talk to animals!"

Canada nearly laughed out loud at that one, thinking of Gilbird and wondering if there wasn't some truth to that strange myth.

"Well I heard albino people glow in the dark!"

The kids were having a I've-heard-better-stories-than-you contest and it would have been cute if not for the fact that Prussia was standing there in the swimming pool with water up to his waist. He said he'd always felt uncomfortable being shirtless outside for long periods of time because for so long he hadn't had such a thing as sunscreen to cover up and avoid the sunburns. And now a group of children were bouncing all the strange albino myths right in front of him, having no idea what it had taken to get Gilbert to come out in the first place.

Before Canada could step in himself, the mother he had noticed earlier stepped up to the edge of the pool and put on her motherly-in-charge voice. "All right, children. That's quite enough. You don't want to scare him off, do you?"

"What, no!

"I think it's cool, I just wanna know!"

"You liar! You just think he's cute."

"Well, he is!"

Canada felt himself blushing, knowing that Gilbert was probably doing the same. _Kids these days..._

"I'm sorry about all this, sir," the blond-haired mother said, facing Prussia with an apologizing smile.

"Hm? Oh – it's fine. They're just curious," Gilbert muttered, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I've experienced worse than a group of questioning kids."

"Ah – Sorry, I didn't realize we had an albino in town. I might have prepared them, if I'd known," the woman continued before turning her attention to the group of children. "All right, guys, time to get out."

A round of "aww's" had Canada giggling behind his hand, remembering the days of being a child, the whining also reminding him of a certain brother _and_ a certain albino lover. He moved forward and grabbed Gilbert's hand in his, getting the red eyes to look at him instead of the kids or the blond-haired mother. "Hey, Gil, I think I found some playmates for you."

"_Gott_, no, don't even joke, Birdie," he whispered as he squeezed his hand.

As if the German word had been an alarm, the blond-haired woman stepped over to the edge of the pool again. "You should come out more, you know. This town is quite open and friendly."

"Ah -" Gilbert muttered, waving a hand in the air. "I prefer staying inside. I just come out for -"

"My husband runs the local bar. He's been looking for a German's opinion on his latest batch of imported beer -"

It was like she had said the magic words, and it really only aided the stereotype. "Oh hells yes!" Matthew sighed and slapped his lover playfully as the woman's eyes widened. Gilbert blinked and then seemed to understand his mistake when he saw the children on the side, wrapped in towels and waiting to leave. "Sorry."

The woman smiled and shook her head. "No worries. It happens. I'll see you around then?"

Prussia nodded, earning another smile and a wave from the kids. After the moment, he turned to Canada, who was staring him down. "Hey, Birdie, that was weird. It was like -"

"She was flirting with you?"

Prussia blinked. "Huh?"

_Oh yes, I noticed, even if you did not. _

With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around Gilbert's neck, only feeling awkward because of the fact that they were still standing in the swimming pool. "You have to take me with you."

"What? But you don't -"

He bit down on a piece of skin where neck met shoulder, earning a yelp. Gilbert should have realized they were alone in the pool. He should have known that Canada would not play nice now that they were alone. "You're _my_ albino," he stated when he pulled back, looking into those gleaming red eyes. "If you're going to start visiting the townspeople you have to take me with you. So _everyone_ knows that you're mine." He leaned his head into the bare chest, rubbing his cheek against the wet skin.

His statements earned him a chuckle. "Possessive much?"

"I'm allowed."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you allow it."

"Spoiled."

"Your fault."

There was a breathy sigh and then. "You win."

Snuggling against his boyfriend, Matthew smiled. "It's cause you love me."

There was no vocal response, but then again there was no need for one. They had both said the words so many times there was no reason to repeat them. Not when they could read each others mind so well.

"Ich liebe dich, Birdie."

Then again, Prussia always had a way of surprising him.

He pulled back from the hug and reached out to grab the white hair and tug Gilbert's face against his, pressing their lips together. There in the cool water of the public swimming pool with the summer sun beating down on them, they kissed and moaned and felt the warmth taking over.

And then Gilbert pulled back and whispered. "Danke."

And nothing else was ever said about the white tiger in the zoo or the word "defective" ever again.

~!~

_A/N: Ah hah. Who knew "darkly" could be so...so...ah, I dunno, happy? I love the way this turned out. The swimming pool scene was extra but I wanted it because I felt like actually closing the issue instead of leaving it open like I normally do. Besides, curious kids are so adorable~_

_I really don't know how "darkly" turned into a story about Gil overcoming a weird anxiety of showing his albinism to the world. I mean, what, Prussia scared to be himself? I don't know... But for the story's sake, I liked it, even if I'm not sure how my brain used the prompt. Ah well. I think in so many layers I can't understand myself sometimes._

_~~Thanks for all reviews/alerts/favorites; I always appreciate them~~_

_~Reda_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes****:**

-This is me inserting a realistic problem to the PruCan relationship that I haven't seen before. I blame the prompt. Couldn't think of anything else once the idea hit.

-I have this issue myself, so shush, it IS a pain in the butt when it happens.

-AU setting.

**Warning****:**

- After sex. As in, sex happened. SEX KIDS!

- I'm serious. It's a post-sex story so there's no smut – there's just the sometimes-awkward scene that happens afterward.

~!~

You Belong To Me

Prompt 3: "She aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a girl."

~!~

"Gil..."

He looked up at the albino as Gilbert pushed himself up on his hands to look him in the eye. They were both naked and still panting. Gil's eyes were gleaming, lost in the haze of his post-sex happiness. The soft smile crept across the pale face as those eyes looked down on him, as the white hair barely moved, being sweaty and plastered to the pale forehead.

Matthew tried to smile up at him, tried to show him that _yes_ he _had_ enjoyed it, but he couldn't make his lips move up like he wanted. He couldn't make his eyes give off that same gleam. There was a little pain in his stomach, a little jealousy. This didn't always happen, but when it did it made him mad. He was depressed again; he could feel the tears wanting to come for _no reason_.

"Hm?" came Gilbert's expectant hum.

The albino was keeping himself held up, but he was still inside Matthew and he wasn't moving anytime soon. Gil liked to lie still in silence as they each breathed together; he preferred not to move, to sit and enjoy the closeness.

Usually, Matthew was right there with him. But every so often, the stupid depression hit and he had to fight the frustrated urge to throw the albino off of him. Sadly enough, the mental issue crept up most often when Gil was topping, which made the whole thing that much worse. It made Gilbert wonder if it was _him_, if it was something _he_ was doing wrong.

Knowing this was going to hurt his lover but not knowing what else to do, Matthew met the red eyes and frowned. "Get off," he said. He winced the moment it came out, seeing the flash of pain disrupt the hazy gleam. "Please?"

Gilbert didn't say anything in response. His head drooped down, avoiding his gaze as he pulled out and flopped over to the other side of the bed. Gil knew what was going on. It had become more common lately.

Matthew groaned as his lover left him, as pale hands hesitated to touch him before settling for resting next to him in the sheets. He turned his head on the pillow and looked over at the albino who was being incredibly quiet now. The red eyes weren't even looking at him, angled downward and seemingly focused elsewhere.

Feeling a pang in his heart for causing Gil so much pain, Matthew wanted to reach out and reassure him that everything was fine. He wanted to hold him, to cling to him, to tell him it was a stupid hormonal imbalance and had nothing to do with what he actually thought or felt. But those words had always sounded so empty and the wonder never left, especially because this only happened when Gilbert was trying to please Matt and when they switched roles.

Besides, the feelings that he couldn't control were bubbling into a terrible frustration level. He felt like a pregnant woman or a teenage girl on a period. Mood swings that he couldn't control, giving him moods he didn't want at the most inopportune times. With an annoyed sigh, he swung his legs off the bed and headed for the bathroom. He wanted to clean up. And then he wanted to sit and eat a barrel of ice cream. Or slurp on maple syrup. He just wanted to eat and drown himself in food until the stupid feelings went away.

"Birdie?" came the concerned voice of his lover from the bedside.

He turned as he was closing the bathroom door, wincing at the dejected look on the usually prideful, beaming face. "I'm taking a shower," he said, grimacing himself when the words echoed in the room, coming out much harsher than he'd meant.

It was made worse when he closed the door and it slammed loudly because he'd used just a little too much force. He almost fell into tears right there in the bathroom, but he bit his lip and held it in. Not because he thought it was unmanly to cry. Not because he wanted to hide it for his own pride. He didn't want to cry because Gil would blame himself and it wouldn't help the situation at all.

So with a trembling lip, he turned and climbed into the shower, meeting the cold water with a heavy heart. Why did he have to feel like this? It was stupid. It wasn't because of any real reason, was it? Tears fell down his face, quite against his will and thankfully without sound. He managed to keep it quiet, or quiet enough so that the sound of the shower would keep it hidden.

Maybe he really was disappointed in Gilbert's performance. _No. It's not that. I love him too much for it to be that... _

Maybe he had some kind of mental problem being on the bottom. Maybe he didn't like to be controlled or held down. Maybe he had a control issue.

That...might actually be the reason...

Matthew had never been one in a leadership position. He had never controlled much on his own. His brother, outspoken and self-proclaimed hero, had always held his hand and led him through everything. Whether it was school or getting him a job or talking with their parents about his decision to marry another guy...Alfred had always been there, like a dependable brother. And at the same time, Matthew had always mumbled about how Al was saying everything wrong, or doing things wrong, or misrepresenting him no matter how well meaning, and no one had ever heard him.

He had never been in control of his life.

And then Gil had come in. At first, it had seemed like someone just wanting in his pants, but Gilbert had quickly proven to be the guy who would let Matthew make the rules. Anytime Matthew was nervous or unsure, Gil would stop and make sure everything was okay; he would always ask for Mattie's opinion. He would always make sure whatever they did was what Matt wanted to do.

Whatever the opinion of their friends, soft-spoken Matthew Williams had learned how to control his life, had learned how to make decisions and stand up for himself. Because of Gilbert Beilschmidt, a random German albino who had seemed like such a polar opposite because of his outward show. Whatever the outside world thought, Matthew was the one in control in their relationship, not that he'd ever say such a thing to anyone – not even Gil.

...Which made the whole post-sex depression episodes that much worse. If control really was the reason, how could he ever explain it to Gilbert? How was he supposed to tell Gil he was only satisfied when he was in charge? Gil, who had been in a back-and-forth relationship with Elizaveta Héderváry all through high school days; he'd fallen for the girl and been toyed with ever since she figured it out. She had always clearly been in charge, making Gil do everything for her at a whim – and he _would_ because he'd made a commitment.

Of course, Elizaveta would break up with him, the albino would come to school drunk the next day, and then a few weeks later, they'd be back together doing the same old thing. For four years. It wasn't until an exchange student came in their senior year and took Elizaveta's heart for real – an Austrian musician – that Gilbert was finally free to break away from the strings tying him and see other people. It wasn't until then that the albino had noticed Matthew and the two had fallen in love over the summer.

The both of them needed control. It was why they had an unspoken agreement that they would aim for a symbiotic relationship, something where neither one of them would make demands of the other. Ever.

So if this depression issue was because of control...

He shook his head and turned the shower off. He couldn't talk to Gilbert about it. He _wouldn't_ talk to him about it. Saying such things would only make the situation worse. It was better to just leave it at a weird happenstance and hope one day Gil would understand. The truth would hurt too much, and he didn't want to lose the one thing he loved the most in his life.

Stepping out, he wrapped himself in a towel after patting himself dry. He opened the door and walked into the bedroom to discover it was empty. He paused and tilted his head, catching the sound of the television in the other room. So, Gilbert had done the usual and gone to the den.

As he walked over to the dresser, he noticed the bed was missing a pillow and the closet was still open, revealing the missing black eagle blanket – Gil's present from a few years prior. He frowned as he got dressed, knowing that Gilbert was planning to sleep in the other room tonight. After one of these episodes, it was too awkward to sleep together because neither one of them wanted to talk and the silence would kill the mood and make everything ridiculously hard to relax. And Gil was always willing to move to another room, to give Matthew the bed and sleep uncomfortably in the other room with the noise of the television to put him to sleep.

Slipping on a pair of red and white pajamas, Matthew stepped lightly as he walked out of the room and down the hallway, still feeling the urge for food. He stopped when he reached the entrance to the den, looking over at the flashing of the television and the stretched out body of his albino lover on the sofa. Tossing the urge for food to the side, he worked up a new courage and stepped into the room, walking around to stand in front of the sofa and smile down at the sleeping man.

The blanket was hardly covering him at all, showing his still bare chest and the sweatpants he had apparently dressed in while Matthew was in the shower. The albino was sound asleep, mouth open slightly, drool starting to coat a little section of his pillow. He looked peaceful when he slept – and way too adorable for Matthew to stay upset for long.

Thankfully, the depressed episode was leaving him. Taking a little section of the couch, he sat down, thanking his small frame for once in his life. With one hand, he reached out and started to stroke the white strands of hair, pushing the messy bangs out of Gil's face. Even if Gilbert was asleep, he closed his mouth and hummed something shortly after Matthew started petting him.

Unable to stop the smile, Matthew decided if he couldn't talk to Gil while he was awake the least he could do was let things out to the sleeping albino. "I think I figured out why I get so depressed after sex," he whispered, his voice barely louder than the television behind him. "I've always wanted control of things," he continued. "But I can't ask you to give up your control, not after everything you've been through. But I still get upset, apparently." He sighed, feeling the tears popping out of his eyes against his will again. "I...I'm such a terrible person...wanting so much from you...and not giving you anything...I'm sorry..."

His vision was blurring. He had to stop talking, stop petting Gilbert's hair. He brought his hands up to his eyes and rubbed them, trying to clear them of the tears, though they kept coming.

"I am a terrible person. I don't want to want something so selfish, but I do. And I cry and get depressed when I don't have it. So terrible. I can't believe I'm so horrible. I should just go die -"

"No," came the voice in his ear before he could even register that Gil had woken up. Arms were wrapping around him, pulling him closer to a warm body. "You're not terrible. You're not selfish."

A hand was rubbing his back. It was all too much. The attention. He wasn't going to be able to quit crying now. "B-but I get depressed just 'cause I want control...that's so..."

"It's okay," Gil murmured, lips against the side of his head, near his ear. "Whatever makes you happy, Birdie."

He wailed at the comment, unable to believe that Gilbert – the "bad boy" of the school, the one who could rival Al in ego size – would give in to him _so_ easily. It wasn't in-character for him. It wasn't right. Gilbert deserved to be in control and Matthew was just trying to rip it from him the same way Elizaveta had. He didn't want to be like that; he didn't want a relationship like that. He just wanted -

"I want _you_ to be happy," he managed to mumble out through the tears.

There was no immediate response from Gilbert. The albino just held him close, his legs crossed, making it almost seem like Matthew was sitting in his lap. He would be, if he was actually sitting on Gilbert and not just leaning against him. They sat there together, the television having been turned off at some point, as Matthew cried out all the pent up frustration and stupid depressive hormonal feelings.

"I'm only happy if you're happy, Birdie," Gil said as the cries died down and they entered silence again.

With a sniff, Matthew pulled away from the bare chest to look into the red eyes, trying to read the meaning behind those words. "But -"

Hands moved to clasp his own as the red eyes continued to stare straight into his. "I'll do whatever you want, as long as it makes you keep smiling. I hate it when you cry, so let me do whatever it takes to make you happy again."

"But what about you?"

The familiar grin spread on the pale face. "Like I said, Birdie. I'm happy if you're happy. All the other little things don't matter as much unless you can enjoy yourself."

"But -"

The eyebrows furrowed down this time and a hand reached up to touch his cheek. "I mean it, Birdie. It's really that simple. Love may be complicated but I'm a simple man. I don't need much to make me happy." The head tilted, eyes closed, grin wide. "Just you."

He stared and blinked at him for a few seconds before he tore his hands away in order to wrap his arms around the pale neck. He wanted to say something. He wanted to say so much. Too much. His brain couldn't pick a phrase or a sentence or a single word. So he jumped forward and captured Gil's lips with his own.

The albino seemed surprised because the mouth opened and Matthew dived for his chance, taking the control he was offered, closing his eyes and working to throw everything he had into this kiss. Gilbert loved his kisses, and Matthew knew how to make the albino moan, especially when he managed to catch him off guard. The sound buzzed his lips and tongue but he didn't break apart, feeling hands slip under his pajama top to rub at his back. He let the fire carry him all the way, only pulling back when his chest started to hurt from lack of air.

He stared at his lover, noting the closed eyes, the mouth open and gasping for breath in quick pants. And he smiled and kissed the pale cheek before leaning on his shoulder and closing his own eyes. "Gil...I love you," he whispered.

He felt the man grunt against him, and he giggled because he had just teased the albino _so_ badly without promising any kind of release. He was expecting a whine, the usual complaint and urge to finish what he'd started, but after a few panting breathes the only answer he received was, "I love you, too."

And it was enough.

~!~

_A/N: Excuse me while I die from the sappy sweetness. God, that was probably too much, but I'm a sucker for such things and it decided to come out in full force._

_Because of a role-play, Hungary is seen as a bitch to Prussia in my headcanon; as much as I love PruHun, I have this little bunny that says she's only toying with Prussia and she actually loves Austria. So, that's why she seems like such a bitch in the little snippet she is mentioned in here._

_And as I said earlier, I do have this post-sex depression issue that crops up occasionally so I felt like using the issue for this prompt, though I've pinned down a different reason from the one I gave Canada – but that's my personal life. ;P_

_~~Thank you for all reviews/favorites/alerts; I appreciate them all~~_

_~Reda_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes**:

-I wanted to write something from Prussia's point of view. This time, I am successful. Finally.

-Random French history. I dunno why, just kind of happened. (Oh wait – I _do_ have a reason but it's subtle and minor so, yeah...layers!)

-By the way, I hope I'm creative. I try to take commonly used ideas and throw them together so that there's a bit less cliché involved. I don't know. Seems like I start with one idea and by the end I'm somewhere I never expected.

~!~

You Belong To Me

Prompt 4: "Roses"

~!~

"_Long live the rose that grew from the concrete when no one else ever cared." _

Tupac Amaru Shakur

~!~

"I'll be right back. Don't break anything."

Prussia pouted his lips out as his French friend left the room, keeping one hand in his pants pocket as his other hand reached out to play with the little odds and ends on Francis' desk. Those little silver balls that represented some physics concept – Newton's Law? - were way too much fun to pull back and watch as they bounced in different patterns. Francis kept a random assortment of things on his work desk, none of which he ever had around the house. Still, there was a side to the Frenchman that spoke of his more enlightened past, even if that side rarely came out of the box nowadays.

There was also this plaque hanging up on the wall behind the work desk, holding an ancient copy of "The Rights of Man," an artifact from the French Revolution that the whole world learned about in schools and some still respected, no matter the rather bloody revolution that followed – people still insisted on liking such ideals.

As his hands continued to be nosy, Prussia found a wooden carving of a person – a woman. It was painted in white and a pair of angel wings spread out in the back. When Gilbert racked his memory, he drew a conclusion that the carving was meant to be a replica of Joan of Arc, a female hero from France's past – and the reason Francis and Gilbert could connect about loving humans in their past.

Not that anyone remembered Prussia or Frederick the Great. No, while his friends had changed and moved on and lived on with the world still learning their history, Prussia was becoming all but forgotten in the history books. Even if he'd made a mark. Even if he _should_ be remembered, because damn it all he _had_ been awesome while still a nation.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, he pulled his hand back and settled for staring around the room, noting the collection of flowers decorating every corner. Flowers were something Francis loved to have around. He always seemed to be carrying one or more in his jacket when they went out – and he'd always offer one to a pretty lady. Prussia hadn't ever cared for such things.

He was a nation built for war, after all; he'd spent most of his life fighting someone, defending his borders from the enemies on all sides. Even while younger, he had gone on crusades, fighting to spread a message. So he didn't understand these finer points of life.

Which was why he was standing here in Francis' work room waiting on his friend to finish an important conversation with his boss. It was Gilbert's first year anniversary with Matthew...and he had no fucking clue what to do. Yeah, he'd been in relationships before, but that was when he was a nation – that was when things were different, easier, and that was with people who were more like him. When it came to Matthew Williams, Canada, he loved him for everything Prussia wasn't. They were like two puzzle pieces that didn't even look like they'd match up well, but once put together it was like they had been meant for each other all along.

Still, the problem was that Gilbert had no idea what to do for his Birdie. So, why come to Francis?

Well, France was Canada's father wasn't he? He'd helped raise Matthew. Hell, parts of Canada spoke French! (Something Gilbert hadn't been too fond of at first but was slowly learning to accept, tolerate, and even understand himself). On top of that, Francis was also Gilbert's close friend. So he was easy to talk to about such things without having to worry about the world finding out that the great and awesome Prussia was having difficulties being a romantic.

"Okay, I am free. Now what did you need, Gil?" Francis asked as he came into the room, closing the door behind him.

Prussia turned around with his signature grin to face his friend, hands still in his pockets. "It's our anniversary," he stated, as if that was all he needed.

Francis didn't miss a beat, walking around the room to start gathering his things to go home. The day was almost done. "When? A week from now? Tomorrow?"

Prussia blinked. "Uh. Today."

He was confused when Francis spun around to face him quite suddenly and quickly, his eyes wide. "What? Today? Oh, _mon ami_, why are you still here?"

Again, he blinked. "I needed help figuring out what to get him, Francis."

France groaned and slapped his hand to his face. "_Mon ami..._you should have come to me earlier."

"Why?" Prussia asked, slouching back against the desk.

To his chagrin, Francis started babbling in his native language, rushing around the room, picking out different flowers as he went as if collecting them. Prussia crossed his arms and watched, unsure of what to do. Anniversaries were like birthdays, weren't they? He had shown up a little later in the day to Canada's place that hot July summer day, having spent most of the day before running around the world looking for a present. He thought he'd just have to do the same thing, but he hadn't been able to come up with anything to get for Matthew, so even though it was getting late, he'd come to Francis for help – like it was a last resort to ask for help. And with him, it really was.

Now Francis was damn near panicking and he had no idea why.

"France, wh-"

A hand grabbed his own and cut him off, forcing him to move forward. "You idiot!" Francis snapped. "You're going to make him think you forgot!"

He blinked as he was dragged out of the room and pushed out the door, a haphazard bouquet of red and white colored flowers thrown in his hands. "Wha-"

"The red and white together symbolizes unity. He'll know what it means, even if you don't. Now go!"Francis snapped, making a shooing motion with his hand. "_Dieu_, you are such a pain sometimes, Gilbert."

Again, he blinked, and tilted his head. "I'm confused. What's the big deal?"

Francis sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, leaning against the side of the doorway. Prussia just stared back at him, honestly confused at the rush his friend was now in. Why? What was the problem? He wasn't always in the house when Matthew came home, and Canada knew that, so what was it about an anniversary that made his normal wandering-around-the-world such a bad thing?

"Gilbert, today of all days should have been spent with _him_. Anniversaries are important things. You are supposed to spend your savings on your love and do -"

"But I don't have any savings, Francis," Prussia grumbled, kicking at the carpeted floor underneath his feet. "I don't exactly have a job anymore."

He could see France's eyes widen and then close, a hand coming up to run through the blond hair. "Ah, yes, I forget. He's the one taking care of you."

Prussia winced. Truth or not, it stung. To know and accept that he was a freeloader. Even if he had found love, he still felt useless at times. Prussia did not exist anymore, and Gilbert could not go get a job easily within the human world. He had no birth certificate, no proof of citizenship, no documents that normal humans kept or showed when applying for such things. His only hope of a job was working as some kind of undercover agent, and Matthew had made it clear he would not be happy with such a thing.

Besides, it wasn't such a big deal being stuck at home all day. It just kind of irked him a bit to not be the one providing – or at least helping with the upkeep. He had tried to clean the house, tried to play re-decorate. It had been a disaster. And he'd been forbidden from ever trying such a thing on his own again. Granted, he did outside work occasionally, but he still felt like he was freeloading.

Hell, he'd had to beg West for the money to buy Matthew a present on his birthday.

So, what was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to get Matthew on their anniversary? Since it'd been a year, he'd thought about maybe getting a ring, asking Birdie to marry him and be more than just a boyfriend. But...

How was he supposed to buy a ring if he didn't have a single coin to his name?

He was reduced to asking his friends for help. It was painful and it hurt his pride a little, but he'd do anything for Matthew. He just wished he could do more.

"Gil," said France, causing Prussia to lift his head and wait on his friend to continue. "If you had the money, what would you do?"

For a moment, he stood there and bit his lip, unsure if he wanted to let this information free. But this was Francis. His friend. He could keep it secret. Maybe he would know a way to make it happen.

Glancing to the side, he shuffled awkwardly and spilled out his want to propose to Canada, to Matthew, to his Birdie. After all, maybe this counted as asking the father for permission.

To his surprise, France grew instantly excited and pulled him back inside to give him the run down on what to say and do. He took the collection of roses and instead only held on to two, entwining them together with gold thread before handing them back. Prussia's head swam with information as Francis spilled out all kinds of ways he could propose even without having a ring; after all – they were nations (ex-nation included); they didn't need to go by all the same rules.

~!~

When Gilbert finally arrived back home in Canada, it was well into the evening and the countryside around was quiet, night life already quite active. His clothes, including the Prussian blue jacket Matthew had specifically bought for him, were soaked and covered in splotches of mud. He'd been a bit of klutz on the way back from the airport and the pouring rainstorm had made everything that much worse. He was already dreading the reaction from his lover for being away from home all day – a day he had realized, thanks to France, was actually quite seriously important.

Not to mention, he was nervous as hell for other reasons.

_I can't believe I let him talk me into this... He's not gonna like it at all..._

Chewing on his lip, holding the entwined red and white roses in his hand, Prussia opened the door and walked into the dark house. It was quiet. He groaned. Matthew must already be asleep.

Berating himself for being so late, he walked down the hallway, his eyes catching a note on the entryway table. Blinking, he turned the nearby lamp on and picked the note up to read, seeing more loose papers underneath but focusing in on the letter from his love, fearing the worst.

_Hey Gil,_

_I tried to stay up and wait on you. I know you like to travel a lot and visit old friends. I didn't really expect you to remember our anniversary, but it's okay. I forgive you. Really. I just wish you had come home earlier so I could at least give you my gift to you. I'm sure you'll love it. I realize you've been quite bored around the house with nothing to do, so... I worked things out with the help of your brother and with Joey – remember Joey? He's like my secret agent bodyguard, the one you were so jealous of at first. _

_Anyway, I know we can't ever give your real nation status back, but this should be something, at least._

_Lots of love – Je'taime – Ich liebe dich,_

_Your Birdie_

Prussia could only stare and wonder if he was seeing things. What was this? Something about his nation status? Why would he need West and that human's help? What...?

After a moment, he set the letter down and picked up the other papers. Documents. Real official documents. One was a birth certificate, using his human alias, the name Gilbert Beilschmidt and stating that he was born in Berlin. (Not that it was actually true, because he was pretty sure he was "born" somewhere more north than any actual German state...but Berlin had been his capital for so long, it felt like a birth place).

He blinked. _A birth certificate...and a..._ He lifted the other document with a new fervor, eyes widening as he read over the new proof of his citizenship – proof that he lived in Canada. _Why...? _His hand was shaking as he picked up the last document sitting on the table and he nearly gasped as he read the words.

_New Prussia is hereby recognized within the Canadian government as a micro-nation, always to be loyal to Canada but allowed its own small militia and government._

The paper fell out of his hands, floating to the desk, revealing a place for a signature near the bottom. Canada had already signed one line, but there was an empty line, as if just waiting for him to accept. Just waiting for his approval. This wasn't how things usually worked. This wasn't normal. This wasn't supposed to -

His vision blurred and he shook his head, hand shaking as he grabbed the pen on the table. Then again, having a committee dissolve a nation wasn't normal, either. If he could be officially dissolved, he could be officially reinstated. Or given new territory to call his own. Or whatever this meant.

_Oh, Birdie, you don't even know... Gott... My surprise looks like nothing now. _

His hand shook the entire time he signed along the line, and the second the ink dried he felt a rush of dizziness assault him. Stepping back, he put a hand to his head and gasped for air as the feeling and burdens of a group of people joined his own in a way he had not experienced in at least twenty years. When the Berlin Wall fell, he'd felt empty because his people had been rejoined with his brother and he'd been left with nothing to call his own. Now it was back.

Prussia put a hand to his chest and fought the unmanly urge to cry. _Gott, I shouldn't have stayed away all day. I can't even hug him because he's..._

Narrowing his eyes in new determination, he dropped everything – except the roses; he kept those with him – and raced to the bedroom. He walked in slowly, finding that Matthew was indeed asleep. He sighed and shook his head, deciding to share his excitement and joy in the morning. He'd wake up before Matthew could leave for work.

Work. He nearly barked in laughter. With the other documents, he could masquerade as a human and find a small part time job in the nearby town. He could earn money again so he could buy Canada anything he wanted, so he wouldn't have to beg his friends or his brother.

_Gott, so much...And I wasn't here..._

He had to rub water out of his eyes as he walked over to Matthew's side of the bed. His Birdie was sound asleep, breathing nice and evenly, facing toward the center of the bed. Kumajiro, the baby polar bear, slept at the foot of the bed on Matthew's side like always. Prussia watched him sleep for a while before placing the entwined roses on the small table beside the bed, next to his lover's glasses.

Then he walked into the bathroom to strip out of his soaking wet clothes and take a shower to get the mud out of his white hair. Hopefully, he wouldn't wake Matthew up. He didn't want to be a nuisance on top of messing everything up today by not realizing how important it was.

~!~

Feeling calm and refreshed, a towel wrapped around his waist, Prussia opened the bathroom door – only to be instantly tackled by one happy little Canadian boyfriend. Arms were around him before he could say anything and lips were against his own, taking advantage of the surprised open mouth to make it count.

Although he wanted to ask why the sudden jump of affection when he had clearly screwed up badly today, Prussia wasn't going to argue in the middle of such a wonderful kiss. He let his eyes close and he moved his own arms to wrap around Canada and pull him closer. His tongue played back with the animated one already in control and a low moan escaped from deep in his throat.

And then Matthew had to pull back.

"H-huh?" Gilbert breathed, eyes opening to blink and question.

Canada held up the red rose and white rose entwined together, his blue-violet eyes clearly dancing and his grin wider than Prussia could ever remember. "You know what this means, right?"

"Uh -" He reached up to scratch his head, trying to get his brain to focus on something other than lust. Yes, he could remember France's words. _Propose to him like this. Red and white together means unity and if you entwine two roses it can mean "marry me" so just hand this to him and say whatever you want. He will know. _"Y-yeah. I do," Gilbert stuttered, annoyed at himself for blushing and being so caught off guard.

_All those plans were useless. I knew exactly what I was going to say, but now..._

Canada smiled and leaned in again to peck him on the lips. "I do, too."

Matthew didn't say anything more on the subject, instead falling into silence and wrapping his arms around Prussia's neck, leaning into him and content to stand there – even though Gilbert was clearly naked under the towel and now clearly wanting something more than a kiss. And Matthew's bare skin on his own was starting to excite him even more.

Still, he was a little confused, furrowed brow and all. "That's a 'yes' right?"

He was a little miffed to get a giggle in return. "Yes, Gil, it's a 'yes.' Did you see your gift?"

"Yeah," he said with a grunt. "Birdie, I don't even -"

"You like it?"

"Of course!" He exclaimed and then fell back. "I just – why?"

Matthew shifted positions, leaning his cheek against Gilbert's shoulder while one hand moved down to start making circles around rather sensitive areas of his pale chest. Strangely enough, Gilbert couldn't tell if Mattie was doing it on purpose or not. Because the Canadian seemed rather focused on answering.

"I want you to be happy and stay awesome."

_Stay awesome..._

Prussia laughed long and loud...and happily. "Kesese~ I can stay awesome as long as I have you."

He felt the Canadian smile against his chest. "Then you'll be awesome forever."

~!~

_A/N: I squealed while writing this way too many times. God, I'm gonna kill someone with the sappy sweetness at one point I swear._

_Roses: My sources indicated that red and white together = unity and entwining two roses together = "marry me" so I used it. Whether or not it's correct, ah well, make believe for the story's sake!_

_New Prussia: It's rather hard to find good information on the status of New Prussia as a micro-nation. I believe it's simply a city in Ontario or was a micro-nation at one point. Whatever the actual true history behind "New Prussia" ever since I heard of such a city in Canada, I've felt like Canada would give said territory to Prussia in an effort to give Prussia -something- that might make him almost feel like a real nation again. (This is actually explored in a role-play with my sister but that's a different story)._

_Layers: The quote used in the beginning can be interpreted however you wish; it can apply to both Prussia and Canada, together, or separate even. I've added enough in this little fic between the lines to where you can make out different layers of meaning (hopefully). At least, I can see multiple between-the-lines meanings. But that's because I'm obsessed with such things and I'm that kid in the English class who has some random off-the-wall interpretation of a story. Eh. Anyway, hope you can use that quote (and haha even mentioning France's history and comparing it to Prussia's has a meaning!). _

~~_Thanks for all reviews/alerts/favorites; I appreciate and am motivated by them all!~~_

_~Reda _


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Notes****:**

- I won NaNoWriMo for the first year ever. Haven't finished the novel, yet, but I'm taking a quick break from it to write this in the middle of the freakin night before school. I can't sleep, and all these ideas hit me like -BAM- so...here we go...Enjoy my short story!

- This is a High School AU set up. It's written with a narrator-like voice with scenes written in-between. So, have fun!

- My high school Matthew is kind of...i dunno...I want to say, different? Or is my Gilbert different? I don't know, I love it but it's just so different from "One Month" I don't know what to think.

**Warnings****:**

**-** this may make you cry? 'cause I almost did while writing it?

~!~

You Belong To Me

Prompt 5: "Forget Romance"

~!~

"_The word 'romance' according to the dictionary means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime." - Billy Graham_

~!~

For four long years, Matthew Williams spent his time watching the life of the one he loved without ever confessing the truth to the guy. Yes, guy. He told no one about his crush, not his parents, not his brother, not even his brother's boyfriend. Alfred tried several times to hook him up with other guys or girls, but things never worked out because Matthew always turned down any attempts.

He had learned how to say 'no' in high school, but it wasn't very difficult. Alfred also learned how to take him seriously, at least during the winter when the twins played hockey together. Matthew was always better at the winter sports; it was his one saving grace when it came to his high school reputation.

Not that he cared about such things. It kept the bullies away, though. It kept most everyone away. Matthew Williams was allowed to spend his time in the shadows of the rest of the kids, focusing on his studies.

At home, he wrote novels in his spare time, taught himself violin, and played one-player video games. Art was a small past time, too; he loved sketching characters from his own stories, dreaming of one day turning it all into a comic book or video game or movie even.

At school, he studied and stayed focused in class. Well, most of the time. He was a quick learner and the rowdy kids in his class tended to annoy him. Whenever a certain trio shared his class, he would groan and reserve himself to spending most of class time drawing in a sketchpad because it would take hours to work through simple problems because of all the disruptions.

At first, he looked down on them, not really liking their attitude toward classes. They were stupid not to realize how important this education was. Francis Bonnefoy flirted with everyone – boy or girl – and disrupted class alone by passing notes constantly, causing girls to giggle. Antonio Carriedo usually sat near Francis but he wasn't so much a flirt as a ditz who always asked the stupidest questions and then got teased by his two buddies; he would excel in his music classes, though so at least he had some career option ahead of him. The third one, though, the rowdy albino Gilbert Beilschmidt, was the loudest most obnoxious guy in the class and was always throwing something or causing drama behind the teacher's back (rumor said he was also a few years behind, having been held back until he landed in the same grade as his younger brother).

Matthew Williams absolutely despised these three and not only because they were annoying in class. Most teachers usually chose _him_ to be the one to sit between them, in an effort to quell their disruptions, and this led to the trio poking fun at him constantly.

And then one day Matthew was asked specifically to tutor Gilbert outside of class – simply because the two apparently lived next door. Something Matthew was not too fond of doing. Of course, he followed rules and he did as he was asked, and for whatever reason, when Matthew scheduled a day and time – Gilbert showed up.

~!~

"_So, the quadratic formula..."_

_A yawn interrupted him. "I'm bored, Mattie. Why don't we take a break?"_

_Clenching his teeth, Matthew Williams set his pencil on the table and glared over the rims of his glasses. "Don't call me that." It was a nickname that was meant to be reserved only for family. Schoolmates and annoying, lazy, jerks were not allowed to use nicknames. _

_Sitting with his elbow on the table and hand on his chin, Gilbert just grinned back at him. It was like the albino was always happy or finding something funny. The guy never showed any other emotion than boredom or that complete sly look of someone who loved getting into trouble. Matthew shouldn't have anything to do with someone like this; the fact that he was forced to invite the guy over to his house and tutor him after school was annoying enough._

"_Oh come on, it's been an hour. My brain needs a break from all this information."_

_Rolling his eyes, Matthew pulled back, slouching his shoulders. "Fine. Whatever."_

_Gilbert laughed and hopped up from his seat, pushing the chair back and hardly caring when it tipped over behind him. "Great! So, what do you have for entertainment in this place?" _

_When the albino started walking around, Matthew kept a wary eye on him, not sure he liked having an unpredictable rambunctious high schooler wandering aimlessly through his house. The place was empty and would stay empty for a few hours yet. His parents both worked late and Alfred usually stayed out at a friend's house anyway. Matthew was left alone; the house was his job; he kept it tidy while everyone was away; he was responsible for everything in it._

_When Gilbert stopped in front of the entertainment system, whistling at the television and the large collection of movies, Matthew rolled his eyes. Everyone thought that was the most amazing thing in the house. People these days just seemed much more interested in staring at a screen for hours on end instead of actually doing something creative -_

"_Is that really your score against your brother in Super Smash Brothers?"_

_At Gilbert's question, Matthew nearly fell forward. The game score board. For a long time, Matt and Al had been keeping up with their wins and losses in the one multi-player game they owned. Bragging rights belonged to the winner of their matches, so it was sort of a big deal. At least to Matthew who never played with anyone else. _

"_Y-yeah, it's the one thing we have in common," he muttered._

_He wasn't expecting the albino to care or anything, but when the guy laughed it still made Matthew's eyes widen in disbelief. "Oh, you must suck, huh?"_

_Gritting his teeth, Matthew snapped to his feet. "I do not suck!" _

_Sure, Al had beaten him over...and over...and over again...for years so his record looked pretty terrible, but he had been training on that game with every intent of beating his brother one day. It still kind of irked him that Al could be so incredibly gifted when he hardly played nowadays. _

"_Sure looks like you do – just saying." Gilbert said, flashing that grin again._

_Feeling a fire in his belly that was definitely not normal, Matthew Williams stomped over to where the albino stood. Standing his ground, he narrowed his eyes. "Fine. How about a challenge then? I'll show you how much I suck."_

_Gilbert leaned back a bit, grinning, though his red eyes seemed to gleam. "Deal. But don't think you can beat me. I'm awesome at video games."_

"_We'll see," Matthew snapped back, flashing his own grin, feeling a new excitement taking over his normally calm demeanor; he didn't tend to get this way except when it came to winter sports but for some reason he had forgotten all about the mathematics he was supposed to be teaching._

~!~

He won the match of course. It made Gilbert whine like a child and demand a rematch, too, believing it to be a fluke. This led to the albino losing thirteen more rounds. They were only stopped because Matthew's parents came home, alerting him to the fact that it was way past time to send Gilbert home.

As he showed the albino out, they had a peculiar conversation – well, something Matthew had not been expecting when he had been forced to bring the guy over. They agreed to meet again. At first, they hid behind the tutoring fact, but when Gilbert started passing his mathematics the need for Matthew's tutelage was no longer a good cover story. Eventually, they both admitted to being friends – and Gilbert never did beat Matthew at Super Smash Brothers, though he tried many, many times.

Once their friendship was out in the open, Matthew learned other things. Such as Gil's crazy relationship with the head cheerleader Elizaveta Hedervary. The first time he actually saw them kiss – making out in the guy's bathroom – Matthew was a little confused to feel emotions other than disgust. For whatever reason, it hurt him to see the albino kissing a girl, and it took him months to admit his own personal secret.

In fact, it was on his birthday when he realized how fucked up the world really was for him.

~!~

_Guys did not have sleepovers. Guys did not have slumber parties. Guys did not dress up in pajamas or have anything to do with the common girl late night birthday hang out._

_No, guys simply hung out with their friends all day, and just so happened to spend the night. When you were addicted to video games, it was easy to forget the time of night, after all. So, this current situation of Matthew and Gilbert spending time in Matt's room without anything to do – it was not normal. Besides, it wasn't his fault that the game console and television had been stolen. When you were a twin, it was impossible to share such things even if it was your birthday. When your brother was a jock with too many friends over, it was impossible to share anything._

_So, here they were, awkwardly hanging out in Matthew's room on his birthday. And, of course, Gilbert was poking through Matthew's things, as if trying to discover the secrets of his quiet friend. To his surprise, Gilbert found something that interested him – something Matthew hadn't been expecting at all._

"_You play violin?" _

_Matthew blinked at the question, snatching the case from the albino's hands the moment Gilbert held it up. "Y-yeah. S-so? I taught myself."_

_Gilbert grinned. "Awesome. I didn't know you could play something."_

"_Yeah, well, I do," he said, feeling a little defensive as he held the case to his chest, sitting on the edge of his bed and glaring at his friend._

_Gilbert surprised him again. "I"ll be right back." _

_Without another word, the albino left the room, sprinting out into the loud house. After staring at the open door, Matthew blinked and stood up to stare out his window, curious to see where his friend had run off to. He wasn't so surprised to see Gilbert racing to his house – after all, the albino did this a lot for spontaneous reasons – but when he saw the guy return back to the outside with a case of his own..._

_He blinked again, waiting for his friend to race back up the stairs and back into his room before voicing the question. "You play -"_

"_The flute, ja," Gilbert said, his German accent sneaking through. (The Beilschmidts were apparently originally from Germany, having moved to the States because of job opportunities or something). _

_Despite himself, Matthew giggled. "You play the flute," he repeated._

_The pale face grew a blush. "H-hey! I didn't laugh at you for playing violin, did I?"_

_Unable to stop, Matthew put a hand to his stomach, feeling it tighten as he continued to giggle. The very idea that this rowdy guy played such a - "Yeah, but violin isn't nearly as girly."_

_The blush grew and the albino huffed, turning his back. "Shit, Mattie, it's not funny," Gilbert whined._

_Forcing himself to get control, Matthew took a deep breath. With a smile, he stood up and put a hand on his friend's arm. "It's okay. I actually think it's kind of cute." _

_He sucked in his breath the moment the words left his mouth, biting his lip, his mind exploding at what he had just said. Cute. He thought Gilbert was cute? He – that was – it couldn't – Matthew gulped when he saw the red eyes blink and stare back at him without a word. A confused, raised eyebrow being the only response he needed to know he had said something really, really weird. _

_Thankfully, neither one of them said anything about it, even though they stood in awkward silence for a few more moments. At least until Gilbert huffed. "So, I was gonna play with you – you know, for your birthday present."_

_And with the awkward moment pushed behind them, Matthew and Gilbert played together for the first of many small musical sessions. _

~!~

Those musical sessions happened more often through the years. They even added Antonio – who was a fucking _beast_ at the guitar. And Francis, Gil's other friend, would be their audience and judge them, pushing them to try out for a talent show every year. It was a strange set up. Violin, guitar, and flute and the three of them knew it probably wouldn't go anywhere but they enjoyed playing together.

In fact, senior year they _did_ try out for the talent show. And they won, much to Matthew's (and everyone else, really) surprise. Senior year was full of special moments. There were several fond memories for Matthew, and some not-so-fond ones. Actually, Gilbert started bringing Elizaveta to more and more "hang out" sessions. Something that was meant to be "just us guys" turned into "but she wanted to come, too."

Eventually, things got so annoying that Matthew started turning down invites whenever he knew the head cheerleader was sure to be there, too. He didn't like her. Oh, she was a nice person in a way, but he didn't like the way she claimed so much of Gilbert's time. He didn't like the way she could tell him what to do or where to go or who to hang out with, especially when she told him not to hang out with Matthew so much because Matthew wasn't popular. (She always had been one to care about school reputation).

Shortly after that, Matthew got a tip off from another cheerleader. Apparently, Elizaveta was cheating on Gil with another guy. Roderich something-or-other – Matthew didn't care, he just had to tell Gil the truth. Come to find out, Gilbert, Elizaveta, and Roderich were all close friends since childhood, a strange happenstance. But telling Gil the rumor had sparked something – it made the albino confront the cheerleader.

Which in turn caused a huge fight and a massive break up moment. Something which nearly broke Gilbert's heart, and Matthew was the only one there who could pick up the pieces.

~!~

_Having heard something outside of his window in the dead of night, Matthew slipped on sweatpants and a hoodie and made his way downstairs. The entire house was asleep, quiet and still. He could hear Al's snores even from down here, but it was something he was good at ignoring by now. The sound of soft mumbling drew him to the back door, the one located right underneath his window, the one where Gil had made a habit of visiting when they had important things to discuss late at night._

_Already knowing something bad had happened to his friend's relationship today, Matthew bit the inside of his cheek as he placed his hand on the cold doorknob, feeling his heart race. What did Gil want to talk to him about? Why could he hear mumbling and muffled...something...?_

_Saying it was for the friend he cared about – cared about beyond friendship – Matthew opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door as quietly as possible. At first, he could only stare at the shockingly silver white hair and the hunched figure sitting on the back porch steps. Then, he heard the muffled sound again and when he recognized it, he forgot about all his worry and stepped over to sit down beside his closest friend._

"_I'm here, Gil," he whispered._

_At first, he didn't face the albino, but when he caught the sound of gulps, he spun his head to see Gilbert drowning himself in a bottle of liquor. Alarmed, he reached out and snatched the bottle away. He knew the Germans allowed their kids to have alcohol at a much earlier age than Americans, but it was still something Matthew didn't like seeing. Not when Gilbert was using it as an attempt to forget the sad moments of his life._

"_W-we broke up," Gilbert mumbled, his now free hand moving up to his eyes, wiping at the tears._

_Tears. Gilbert was crying. The sound of muffled sobs as the albino bit down on a fisted hand. Matthew winced when he saw it, fighting the urge to pull him into a hug and hold him and rock him and tell him that someone in this world did love him and Elizaveta wasn't meant for him anyway. He couldn't say all that, no matter how much he wanted. He didn't want an awkward moment, not here, not now, not when his best friend needed him to be just that – just a friend._

_Instead, he put a hand on Gilbert's leg close to the knee, getting the albino to stare back at him with those gleaming red eyes. "Talk to me, Gil."_

_The lip trembled and Matthew was reminded of all the stories Gil had told him about his crazy antics with Elizaveta. How she had been such a boy when she was younger. How they had grown up together. How they had trusted each other to always watch the other's back. How Gil had always been there to defend her, even before they started dating. _

"_J-just friends, she said," Gil managed to choke out, his hand moving up to hide his face. "She said she never loved me. That Roderich was better. Roderich. That pansy. That prick. Th-that..." He stopped talking, his body curling further in on itself._

_Matthew bit at the inside of his cheek. "Well it's not just Roderich. She's kind of a bitch -"_

_Faster than lightning, Gilbert's head shot up, the hands come down so red eyes could glare at him. "Don't call her that. I w-won't let anyone talk about her like that. Not even you. Do you understand?" Unable to believe the loyalty Gilbert had for the woman, Matthew was forced to nod his head, because he would do anything for Gilbert...in the same way Gil seemed so willing to do anything for Elizaveta. _

_Unrequited love. _

_What great friends the two of them made. _

~!~

Graduation wasn't too far off after that. They all did graduate high school, too, even if Gilbert barely squeaked by (thanks to Matthew no doubt). After the ceremonial stuff, there was a small party with lots of food and tons of alcohol (courtesy of Gilbert and his friends, sneaking in bottles of booze). Granted, they did get caught and thrown out for underage drinking (even though Gil was only a few months away from the age limit).

This, of course, led to howling fits of laughter and the four of them made their way back to their homes after saying goodbyes. They all had different plans for after high school and they were all going separate ways. Antonio was going to join a band and if there was anything good about this world's taste in music, the Spanish-American was destined to be famous. Francis was heading off to some kind of baking school or something – the French guy had always been great at cooking for the group of friends, and the man seemed to think it was his special talent.

Matthew was going to college, which they all teased him about and congratulated him on in the next breath. He wasn't just going to college, after all; he was going to a _good_ college. And his grades had earned him massive amounts of money in scholarship so he could actually _afford_ it, too.

Gilbert, on the other hand, had no real plan for his future. He was going back to Germany. He had mumbled something about researching war history, especially Prussian history – because the albino had always had this strange fascination with the Kingdom of Prussia, a long dead nation that didn't exist on any map anymore. But there was no telling how far Gil would get in his endeavors or if he would get money for his passion. (Of course his family was rich as hell now so there was no worry for the albino at the moment).

Still, saying goodbye became the hardest thing and one of Matthew's worst memories.

~!~

"_Are you sure? You could come with me, you know," Gilbert said as he stood outside Matthew's house, hands in his pockets, eyes a little focused elsewhere._

_It shocked Matthew to no end to know that Gilbert wanted him to travel with him, but after these four years of having a crush he had never said a single word to the man he loved. So, he knew that Gil only wanted company. He knew the albino was merely wishing for a familiar face to hang out with when he went back home. It was nothing more than that._

_Shaking his head, Matthew declined like he knew he would have to one day. "I can't, Gil. My future is here."_

_No matter how much he wanted to share his life with Gilbert, the chances of anything actually happening was next to nothing. Still, he didn't like the idea of saying goodbye and never seeing him again. All these years, he had been bursting with the want to tell his confession. All these years, he had stood by and kept it back, unwilling to risk a great friendship. Well, now they were about to be separated – probably forever – so why was he still holding back?_

_Chewing at the inside of his cheek, he took a breath and forced it out. "Gil..." he whispered, glad to see the albino man look up, head tilted curiously like a dog. "I have to tell you something."_

"_I know," Gilbert responded, grinning. "You've been hiding something for years." Matthew blinked, unable to believe it. Did he know?_

_Stepping closer, Matthew found himself standing in Gilbert's shadow. His eyes glanced to the side and he mumbled the secret he had kept for four straight years. "I'm gay...and...I'm in love with you."_

_Looking back, he nearly threw up. The look of abject horror and shock on that face... It broke his heart. "Uh...wow...uhm...that was not what I was expecting." Unable to say anything back, Matthew bit his lip and stared back, forcing down the urge to cry; he would cry later; he knew this would happen. "Look, Mattie, don't mistake the bromance for romance. Not the same thing -"_

"_Forget romance!" Matthew shouted, slapping a hand over his mouth the moment he said it, stepping away. "Sorry, I just -" He took a breath and turned around. "Sorry," he mumbled, one last thing before running inside._

_There wasn't even a goodbye._

~!~

Years passed. Matthew made it through college, all the way through graduate school, too, getting his degree in film and art. He wrote on the side and still had his dream of seeing his novels showing up on the big screen. Maybe one day he would get the budget to do it, but, staying practical, he managed a small art company and dreamed of the days when he could work his way up to the scenario he wanted to live with.

All thoughts of Gilbert and high school left him for a while. He kept the feelings bottled. He never saw or dated anyone else. He simply kept his mind work-focused and refused to think of love. It had betrayed him. His heart had led him down an impossible path.

Ten years later, he found himself at a high school reunion, wearing his casual work clothes, feeling a tad under dressed next to all the big business successes of their high school class. He found Elizaveta and Roderich, learning of their happy marriage and their two children. He found Francis and Antonio, both success stories in their own right, though not doing exactly what they had planned.

And then he found Gilbert.

~!~

_From across the room, he caught the unmistakable silver hair. It was a little shocking to see, though, because it had been combed and gelled back to look nice instead of unkempt. It was not a look that Matthew particularly thought worked for the man, but all the same, his heart said he still loved it. Gilbert was dressed up nice, too. In a suit of all things. The most unpredictable of all success stories._

_Apparently, Gilbert had become a master in Prussian history, unearthing and discovering little secrets about little known kings. Apparently, people had taken to calling him a Prussian instead of a German because of his abnormal obsession with the place and its history. Apparently, Gilbert had matured quite a lot over the years._

_Standing against a wall, Matthew fought to control his heart beat and his breathing. Everything was a little dizzy. After so long of hiding his feelings, they were here and right at the front of his mind. And the man who had caused them was right there, too, along with all the stupid high school memories._

_Keeping his eyes on the floor, he saw the shoes step in front of him only seconds before he heard the voice at his ear. "I missed you."_

_And then the most unpredictable thing of all happened. Lips touched his own and his breath was stolen from him. His very first kiss. Stolen from him. When he snapped his eyes up, meeting gleaming red, he felt his legs grow weak and he fell forward, clinging to the albino man who had caused so much heart ache in his life. _

"_Don't play with me," he whispered, trying to keep himself from leaning against the albino because damn it all he refused to give in so easily after all the pain he had suffered._

_He saw Gilbert grimace. "I'm sorry, Mattie. I – I guess I'm just stupid and slow sometimes." Then he grinned. "Though Antonio does have a song about how love always finds a way? I mean, it took me forever to realize it, but – you're more than a friend to me." Matthew stared, blinked, not sure if he could believe this. "I missed you."_

_With a gulp, he nodded his head, slowly, and then he let himself fall into the arms of the man he loved. "You idiot. You're supposed to be romantic before you kiss someone."_

_Gilbert's confused voice came right by his ear, even while arms wrapped around him and held him close. "But you said to forget romance."_

_First, he blinked. Then, he laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed some more. The hardest he'd laughed in ten years. He laughed until he cried._

_...and then he ran his hands through that neat silver hair and fixed it to the way it was meant to be – the messy hairdo of the rowdy, obnoxious, idiot of an albino he had fallen in love with._

"_Aww, Mattie, it took forever to fix my hair like that," Gilbert whined._

_To which Matthew responded. "Trust me. It's better this way."_

"_No one else thinks so -"_

"_Just shut up and kiss me again," Matthew demanded, sucking in his breath when he realized he'd just told Gilbert what to do, but then his breath was lost to him all over again when Gil did exactly as he was told._

_He never knew kisses could feel so wonderful._

~!~

_A/N: Ah hah, so, well, I thought it was longer than that. I mean, there's so much here and yet it's only 5000 words? I guess that's short story length, though. Let me know what you think! _


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